FA admit shirt blunder ahead of World Cup

The Football Association says it's miscalculated the number of shirts Fabio Capello's squad will require for the World Cup Finals in South Africa.

Calculations be experts at Lancaster Gate have failed to take a final appearance into account and they say it's now too late to get extra ones made with the correct names and numbers of them.

"We reckoned without making the final - so ordered the number of shirts on that basis. Assmuning the regular exchange of tops after each game - we won't have enough to kit out the team if they make it to the last game." spokesman Brian Hardwick explained.

"It's also too late to get new ones made up, as our supplier's now concentrating on getting the replicas into shops for the fans to buy and even if they could make enough, we've not the time or money to spend on getting them printed up at the nearest JJB's."

The FA have come up with a contingency plan, which involves no small amount of pain for the players lucky enough to make the final.

"We've agreed that should England make it to the last game, the starting 11 would play in skins with their names and numbers tattooed on their backs and the crest and single star inked on their chests."

That's one of the reasons - along with injury - that's behind the decision not to include David Beckham in the 30 man squad for South Africa.

"He's go so many tatts already," Mr Hardwick told reporters, "that he'd need laser surgery to removes those he has before fresh ones could be applied. Quite frankly, his injury's a blessing in disguise."